1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods, systems, and computer program products for making medical payments for others. More specifically, the present invention relates to the coordination of payment of healthcare of patients in developing countries by the patients' family members living abroad.
2. The Relevant Technology
Millions of Children and adults in the third world die every year from diseases readily treated by essential drugs. Mr. Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, estimates that one-third of the world's population lacks regular access to essential drugs and that the figure rises to over 50% in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia. This leads to a much higher mortality rate in those countries, especially for children. In Ghana, for example, an average of one child in every ten dies before the age of five compared to one in every 150 in the UK. This is a result of poor healthcare provision in most developing countries. The average per capita amount spent in Switzerland on health services is over $6,000 per year compared to an average of less than $40 in West Africa. The yearly per capita average for Ghana is $66, for Niger is $19, for Haiti is $44, and for Liberia is $29. In contrast, the U.S. spends nearly $8,000 per capita per year. Because of the significantly lower spending, the poorest countries carry the greatest burden of ill health. The impact is particularly profound with devastating contagious widespread diseases, such as HIV infection.
For most developing countries total government spending on healthcare is minimal. Healthcare cost is supplemented by foreign aid and immigrant remittances to their home countries. In 2007 contribution from external sources was a little less than 25% of total health expenditure; with most developing countries struggling economically, it means most people don't have access to healthcare.
More than 3% of the world's population lives outside their countries of birth. Remittances, the money sent home by immigrants, provide an important lifeline for poor households. According to the World Bank, 11 billion dollars was remitted worldwide in 2001. In 2011, remittances to developing countries were estimated at $372 billion. Of this amount, about 65 percent went to developing countries, with half of that money going to countries considered to be ‘lower-middle income countries.’ Of this amount about 50% is intended to be used for healthcare and prescription medications. But for most families, the money is transferred through third party individuals. Because of this, some or all of the money is often not received by the intended recipient or is used for other things than what it was intended. As a result individuals in most developing countries of the world, especially those in Africa, do not receive the medications they need, often relying instead on local unorthodox medical practices, counterfeit medicine, and unregulated concoctions, which further adds to medical complications and poor health (morbidity and mortality).
Furthermore, due to the financial loss through third parties, those who purchase medication often do not purchase enough to complete the rational course of the treatment (e.g., a full course of antibiotics treatment), rendering the drug ineffective at treating the targeted illness; a prognosis that leads to increased poor health and the development of superbugs that become resistant to the antibiotics.
The cost of transferring money in itself also represents a significant loss to immigrants and their families. The Inter-American Development bank estimates that the total cost of sending remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean reached $4 billion in 2002, or about 12.5 percent of the remittance to that region. It is estimated that the total cost of the average money transfer ranges between 15 and 20 percent. This is a huge loss to what could go towards the cost of healthcare.
A 2012 report generated by the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends three approaches to making healthcare service affordable and accessible:                1. Make health a higher priority in existing spending, particularly in a government's budget;        2. Find new or diversified sources of domestic funding; and        3. Increase external financial support.        
For all countries, steps 1 and 2 are very important. But for struggling developing countries, step 3 cannot be denied. Embodiments of the present invention provide a platform to facilitate step 3 while solving many of the above problems by bringing the patient, the payee and the provider together to coordinate medical care and corresponding payments.